No. 8 Hardin-Simmons faces Austin College in home football finale

Joey D. Richards, Abilene Reporter-News
·2 min read

AUSTIN COLLEGE (1-7, 1-5) AT HARDIN-SIMMONS (7-1, 4-1)

1 p.m. Saturday ✮ Shelton Stadium ✮ 100.7 KOOL-FM

What’s riding on the game: HSU can keep its playoff hopes alive with a victory in its last scheduled home game this season. The Cowboys, ranked No. 8 in the D3football.com national poll, are among seven teams in the NCAA’s first Region III rankings, though no order is given. Four teams – Trinity (8-0, Southern Athletic Association), Randolph-Macon (8-0, Old Dominion Athletic Association), Mary Hardin-Baylor (7-1, American Southwest Conference) and Huntingdon (7-1, USA South Atlantic) – lead their leagues, while HSU (ASC), Belhaven (7-1, USA South Atlantic) and Bridgewater, Va. (7-1, ODAA) are second in their leagues. The league winners get one of the 27 automatic playoff bids, while five other teams nationwide fill out the 32-team bracket. HSU didn’t make the cut last year.

Last week: Southwestern beat Austin College 40-29 in Sherman. HSU rallied by Howard Payne 28-19 in Abilene.

Scouting Austin College: The Kangaroos have the ASC’s worst offense (204.9 yards, 11 points per game). They are ranked eighth defensively (452.3 yards) and sixth in scoring defense (29.6). Three quarterbacks have combined to throw for 288 yards and 2 TDs and one interception. Freshman QB Ben Meraz (98-400, 5 TDs) is the leading rusher. Freshman WR Grant Yudizky (7-155, 1 TD) is the leading receiver. AC, McMurry, Texas Lutheran and Southwestern will leave the ASC after next season to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which will bring back football for the first time since 2016.

Cowboys update: HSU, which needs two victories to notch its 500th in program history, has the ASC’s No. 2 offense (492.4 yards) and No. 1 scoring offense (47.3). QB Gaylon Glynn (110-178-3, 1,687 yards, 18 TDs) is fourth in the league. Hawley grad Colton Marshall (72-409, 13 TDs) is the ASC’s No. 2 rusher, while Myles Featherston (77-385, 4 TDs) is eighth. Kevi Evans (33-742, 8 TDs) and Wylie grad Gatlin Martin (28-355, 5 TDs) are Nos. 2 and 16 among ASC receivers. Marshall leads the ASC in scoring (78 points). Abilene High grad Terrell Franklin (62 tackles, 31 solo) and Matt Mitchell (51, 27 solo) are Nos. 8 and 9 in the league in tackles. Franklin and Brock Bujnoch are tied for third in the league with three interceptions each.

What the Cowboys need to do to win: HSU needs to approach this game like any other, jump on the ’Roos early and keep its foot on the gas. The offense, which has been sloppy at times, needs to play cleaner, protect the ball and be efficient with its possessions with an eye on a possible postseason berth.

Joey D. Richards’ prediction: HSU 62, Austin College 0

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Hardin-Simmons plays Austin College in ASC football game